Thursday, July 22, 2010

July 7th [1863]

Charles came back today --
says he was taken from the
gate by a guard and has
been worked very hard with
sentinels over the gang -- he
looks very worn & haggard -
as does Orjin[?] also, who
never before in his life
had to labor as these his
friends and liberators -- our
enemies -- have made him,
since they came in power.
Great many of our servants
want to go out with us, &
the Federal authorities pro-
mised at first that we
should take such as
wished to go; but this they
have revoked, probably
being surprised & chagrined
at the large number who
desire so to do; but they
say, because the privilege is
being abused -- the neg-
groes are intimidated etc -- a
mere subterfuge. I regret
this very much on account
of the poor boys, who are
very anxious -- many of them
-- to accompany us; and
have found out enough
are -- utterly good for
nothing.

McPherson U.S.A.
came around to see the
Genl tonight -- a pretty heavy con-
versation on the slave question.
Afterwards Genl Forney -
dropped in for a chat -

Wednesday, July 21, 2010

July 6th [1863]

Nathaniel -- my orly [orderly?] called
Nat for short -- the last of
our hopeful free American
lads of African descent took
a notion of leaving today
and accordingly bundled
up, and sparing us the pain
and attendant weeping which
a leave-taking would surely
have inflicted left, a la
Francais -- not however for-
getting to take his traps with
him. We are consedquently
dans domestiques, and in a
very helpless way -- Our
kind little hostess, Mrs
Richeson, has assumed the
honor and dignity of chief
Cook and tried to prepare
the meals for our small
family. I am her chief
asst and I tell you we
put things up in style --
we couldn't however suc-
ceed so well today with
the pea soup, which was
very obstinate and would
not get done; and ex-
hausted entirely our pa-
tience -- leading us to the
conclusion that we were
not born to be cooks; and
though 'twas a very scien-
tific and intellectual pur-
suit, requiring fine judgment
& discrimination, and
therefore calculated to
attract ambitious minds,
it was too far beyond our
reach for us ever to hop
to be proficient in
so high a calling.

The enemy is paroling
our men very slowly --
their excuse is that they
cannot prepare the blanks
more rapidly -- this de-
tention among them is
very galling and I can
now realize what it is
to be a prisoner and have
no doubt that six months
confinement in their
hands would turn my hair
gray or send me to "that
bourne" etc,

preumably meant "That bourne whence no traveller returns," a common 19th century reference to death.

Tuesday, July 20, 2010

July 5th [1863]

Yankees & Confederates
fill the streets, but
seem to understand the
necessity for it and do
not molest one another.

Many of the negroes
have left their homes,
and the enemy sends
round a guard through
the streets to apprehend
those unwilling to go
with them -- these they
put in corrals & camps
and it seems to be
their intention to make
soldiers of them. All
our servants have left
save one, and we are
sloshing along as best
we may under the cir-
cumstances -- service in
the steamboats seems to
attract some of them &
two from us have I think
gone aboard a transport--

Few of us of the garrison
who wouldn't prefer to
have taken the chances
of cutting out & lose two
thirds of our forces rather
than to have suffered
the humility and indig-
nity we are now subject
to, a the hands of these
miserable miscreants,
whose pleasure we must
await as to our leaving
their despised & detested
presence. They are stealing
everything they can lay
their hands on -- will take
your horse from under you
if you permit it, and
from your stable or your
yard if you haven't a
watch over him; and yet
there's no redress for us -
fair promises of preventing
recurrences of insults &
thefts; and that our ser-
vants be allowed to go
with us if they desire -- &
yet nothing done toward
the former, and less than
nothing in compliance
with the latter; for our
boys are forcibly taken
in the streets against their
will and marched off --
Two of our servants at
the other house taken in
this way sent word to
their masters "For God's
sake to come and get
them out" -- This
is the freedom the abo-
litionist gives the negro--

Monday, July 19, 2010

4th July '63

Vcksburg falls. O God! what a blow
it is to our government!
How can we retrieve so
great a loss?

In the council of war,
on the acceptance or rejection
of terms of capitulation, Genl
Pemberton expressed himself
throughout as in favor of an
attempt to cut our way
out -- deeming it practicable
to carry through at
least ten thousand men, from the
reports of the Generals on
the physique & morale of
the troops; but he yielded his
opinion as to the feasibility
of this undertaking to the
judgment of the more im-
mediate commanders of the men,
whose idea, generally
seemed to be that their troops
would remain in good spirits
and continue in fine fighting
order while in the trenches,
but that on leaving these
and taking up a line of
march in their jaded & worn
condition they would
be little likely to accomplish
the severe task of storming
the enemy's works -- which
are stronger and more extensive
than our own -- and of
combatting and forcing a
passage through a force,
greatly outnumbering them
and perfectly fresh.

At 10 o'c we ride to
the trenches, at the Jackson
road, and witness the galling
sight of our brave
and gallant troops, who
have so nobly and heroicly
defended these works for
forty seven days, marching
out and stacking
their arms and colors to a
foe, who was not able to
overcome us
and bring us to this most unfortunate
pass by good hard fighting
but reduced us by encircling
our garrison with a horde and bringing
it to starvation.

The Yankees were thronging
their works, & their bands
playing the national airs, looking on of course with
much delight and gratification
at the -- to us -- humiliating
spectacle, of our brave
boys abandoning the arms
that they have so
gallantly and effectually
used.

We leave the works
and go to the "Stone House"
to await Genl Grant; who
presently arrives with
a large attendance of officers,
and civilians -- curious
seekers of novelties, a class
that ever forms no in-
considerable portion of
every assembly of Northerners.

Our victors deport them-
selves with dignity and
politeness and acquaintances
on opposing sides are soon
mixing together and con-
versing pleasantly. Would that I
could say that they had continued
their good conduct and
consideration, but no: their
men were soon swarming
into town and committing
all manner of depred-
ations -- breaking into houses
& stores, and appropriating
every thing portable
of value -- insulting the citizens --
tampering with our negroes
and in every way making
themselves as offensive
as 'tis possible for con-
querors to be to their un-
armed prisoners. I
wonder much that there
has been no collision
between our men & those of
the enemy -- they are knocking
together through the town
and in the camps: and
for bitter antagonists to
do this for any time with-
out some difficulty oc-
curring seems to me im-
possible: and I am con-
sequently very impatient
at the slowness of the
enemy in paroling our
men, so that we may
leave the cursed and
oppressive confines of
their camps, and breath
once more freely and un-
restrained in the limits
still held by our own
government -- which limits,
by the way, I fear are
about being, by the results
of this summer campaign,
greatly contracted: but
let the southern people
show the true grit that
is in them,when they are
as it were, driven to
the wall, and rise
superior to every defeat
and difficulty, and stand
up to the colors as long
as their is a vestige of
hope -- remembering that
the darkest hour is that
before dawn.

Thursday, July 15, 2010

July 3rd [1863]

with a
proposition to Genl Grant
that he appoint three com-
missioners to meet with
three, appointed by us, to
decide on some propo-
sition, to be submitted to
the Comdy Generals,
for the capitulation of Vicks-
burg. Genl Grants written
reply was that as he had
no terms to offer, but an
unconditional surrender of
works & garrison, he saw
no need of appointing com-
missioners; but he at the
same time told Genl Bowen
that he would like to have
a personal interview with
Genl Pemberton. Genl P
though this unadvisable
but was led by some of his
Generals' thinking otherwise
to consent -- He accordingly
met with Genl Grant, who was
attended by a large number
of officers, at about 1 or 2
o'c on the Jackson road
between the opposing works:
The Yankee General's first
remark was that he would
accept of nothing, save an
unconditional surrender. Genl
P's reply to this was very
pointedly & emphatically
"that there was no need of
saying more on the subject
then, for he wouldn't think
of entertaining such a pro-
position" -- On conversing
further and the two Comdy
Generals consulting with
their respective attendant
advisers; -- Genl Grant said
that he would send in at
10 p.m. a proposition for
terms for our consideration
& action.

Thereupon Genl Pemberton
called a council of war
of his Major & Brigadier
Generals to advise, and
to express their several opin-
ions on the terms proffered,
which were in substance as
follows --

That at 8 a.m. tomorrow
he march a division in &
take possession --
that as soon as our
army was paroled it
be allowed to march
out -- officers to retain
their side arms and to
carry their personal bag-
gage; -- those of cavalry & of
staff Depts to take one
horse each --

That we take subsistence
needed for the march &
cooking utensils to prepare
it -- and thirty four-horse
or double the number of
two-horse wagons.

The council expressed
a unanimous opinion that
these terms should be re-
jected; and proposed
-- with only two exceptions --
that in lieu thereof these
following be submitted
to Genl Grant --

That at 10 a.m. tomorrow
we march out of the
works with arms and
colors, and then stack &
abandon them, & return
within the works.
That as soon as rolls
for parole could be pre-
pared we march out
taking subsistence ne-
cessary, & wagons sufficient
for the transportation of
this and the baggage
allowed --
that officers retain their
side arms, and personal
property (this we meant
to include negroes): and
that the citizens be pro-
tected in theri persons
& property.

General Grant acceded
to these with this mod-
ification -- that the officers
take their personal baggage,
as designated in his terms
proposed; and that he
would put himself under
no restraint with regard
to citizens or their property.

General Pemberton with
the concurrence of this Major
Generals accepted the terms
as modified: and this

Wednesday, July 14, 2010

July 2nd [1863]

At 2 p.m. when I came home ^' from'
Lee's line, where the
Yanks have several saps
approaching, I found, in-
stead of a comfortable
resting place and a quiet
dinner, the house knocked
in by a shell and every-
thing in complete confu-
sion -- worse confounded.
The three ladies were in
the room tat the shell
passed through but for-
tunately it didn't burst
until going through the
next -- the dining room,
where it demolished every-
thing there -- table, cup-
board, side board with
their contents -- and tore
out the side of the room.
The furniture in the ad-
joining chambers was
knocked to pieces; and
the ladies covered with
splinters and slightly
stunned -- they have this
afternoon sought refuge
in a cave, as the firing
continues, -- if anything
with increased vigor --
and you may hear now
the shells go crushing &
bursting into the houses
with great noise, de-
noting their course by a
fiendish, diabolical whiz-
zing. The mortars at the
same time continue their
polite attention, and the
land explosions & the
whistling of their fragments
are heard with
little intermission.

At the suggestion of
several of his major Gen-
erals Genl Pemberton tonight
held a council of war on
the propriety, under the
circumstances, of proposing
terms of capitulation to
Genl Grant. It resulted
in Genl Bowen's being
sent out under a flag of
truce at 7 a. m. this
morning

Tuesday, July 13, 2010

July 1st, '63

The powder barrel did
not have the effect of
blowing in their gallery
for at between 1 & 2 o'c
today the villans [sic] sprung
a tremendous mine -
estimated to have
been from 5 to 800 lbs of
powder [inserted in pencil (2000 pds)] -- at that place,
which blew up the redan
burying eight negroes and
five or six soldiers & of-
ficers who were sapping
to them; and killing and
wounding some 15 others
who were in the work.

The interior parapet
was a little injured but quickly
repaired by us. At the instant
of the explosion
the enemy opened a terrific
fire of artillery at that
point with considerable
loss to us -- many officers,
especially colonels, have
fallen in this siege, and
God grant that our defence
may not prove futile but
that this point may be
saved to the Confederacy,
since we have labored
so hard in the performance
of our duty, -- to hold it til
the government can succor us.

In the early morning the
enemy kept up for some
hours a heavy fire
with their columbiads from the
peninsula which destroyed
may houses in the lower
part of the city -- "tis thus
they seem to work off
their spleen, -- caused by
our success & probably
the effect of our fire on
the peninsula, -- by ruining
the town and frightening
and killing the women &
children; -- they must be
aware that we have no
troops in the city since all
are required to man the
works.